Talking with Crystal

Here’s another interview transcript, this time from Crystal Shawanda who will serve as an opening act for the Paisley Party tour on Wednesday.

I talked to her last week for a preview story that will appear in Saturday’s Leader-Post. What follows below is part of the interview with Crystal:

Leader-Post: Congratulations on your two Juno nominations. You must be thrilled.Crystal Shawanda: That’s awesome. I was on my way into the office and I got a couple of text messages and e-mails telling me. Then I got inside and someone told me, ‘I don’t know if you know but you’ve been nominated for a couple of Junos.’ I was like, ‘That is awesome.’ I can’t believe that my name is in the same category as some of those incredible artists. It’s just incredible.LP: Did the nominations take you by surprise?CS: It’s amazing. I feel very honoured. Sometimes I get caught up in the whole focusing and just working, just trying to stay busy and I don’t realize what’s going on around me. It’s making me slow down and really appreciate everything.LP: Did Dawn of a New Day match your expectations?CS: It’s one of those things that I didn’t know what to expect. It did better than I thought. It was a very scary thing. I remember thinking to myself the week of the album’s release, ‘Will anybody even go out and buy the CD? What if only a few people go out and buy the CD?’ It’s a really defining moment. The fact that we’ve been consistently selling and touring — it’s incredible that people are getting excited about the music. I hope that this is just the beginning.LP: The album and single “You Can Let Go” both garnered attention in the United States. Was that something you were hoping for?CS: I’ve been very blessed that I actually have a career in Canada (laughed). It’s really motivated me. Everybody back home in Canada has given me something to work for here in the United States. With the single getting into the Top 20, it gave me a taste of it. I just feel really lucky. This is what I always dreamed of doing but I never knew if I could actually do it . . . I definitely feel this is the first step in a long case of stairs so I’m trying to pace myself.LP: Have you been able to relax a little now that you’ve found some success?CS: I know that fame can be fleeting and not everybody has that same start so I’m counting my lucky stars.LP: You won a number of awards this year at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Awards and the Canadian Aboriginal Music Award. Are you comfortable being a role model?CS: I feel like things are changing and I feel lucky to be part of that change. It’s good to know that in the future maybe instead of hearing somebody’s not success because of where they’re from or who they are, it’ll just be because the fans didn’t like the music. It’s good to know that more of those barriers will continue to come down. Everything happens for a reason and looking back at what was said to me, I’m glad I didn’t let it dictate my future.LP: I read a story that said a record company executive in Nashville told you that there wasn’t anyplace in country music for a First Nations artist, that they just wouldn’t fit in. How did you react to this statement?CS: At first it brought me down. If anything it almost made me quit but I didn’t realize that’s why I was quitting. Deep down inside that’s kid of why I went back home the last time. In the end I didn’t let it be my motivation. I wanted it to be more positive. I decided it was for myself. I love to sing and that’s what motivates me the most. If in the end I end up teaching somebody to broaden their horizons, well then that’s great.”LP: Is your race becoming less of an issue these days?CS: I think in the beginning sometimes I was referred to like that because people didn’t know who Crystal Shawanda was. They referred to my nationality just to differentiate me from the other girls in the pack. There are a lot of brunette singers out there and it is definitely hard not to blend in. I feel very lucky that as time as gone on and with the success of ‘You Can Let Go’ and the success of the album, I find less and less that I am being referred to as Crystal Shawanda the First Nations or Native American singer. More and more I being referred to as Crystal Shawanda the country music recording artist. It feels good that it’s growing into that and I beleive it will continue to grow in that direction. I feel like I’m being accepted on the merits of my work. I know that’s not what people thought when they walked into Tootsie’s down on Broadway and they saw me on stage. You have to earn that right and I’m happy to have the chance to earn it.”LP: Do you think you will be able to convert a few Brad Paisley fans into Crystal Shawanda fans?CS: I certainly hope to convert a few people into becoming Crystal Shawanda fans. I’m not going to lie — that’s a hope of mine. I’m a big fan of Brad Paisley’s so I think I can have a lot in common with his fans. A lot of people haven’t seen me play live and that’s a big part of who I am as an artist, what’s in my live show. I just think that in order for people to know me as an artist, they need to see me perform live. I’ve never done a stadium or arena tour before so I’ve got a lot to learn. It’s a big change going from the honky tonks to the big venues and who better to learn from than Brad and Dierks (Bentley).

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